Demand for CRM Developers on the Rise
According to International Data Corporation (IDC), the global CRM applications market for the first half of 2011 grew 13.3 percent over the prior year, hitting revenues of $9.2 billion. This puts the market on pace to reach IDC’s forecast for revenues of some $18 billion for the entire year, year-over-year growth of 7.6 percent vs. 2010 revenues.
Given this, it’s not surprising that companies are investing in CRM development resources.
Vimal Shyamji, partner and general manager for Technology Contracting–National at staffing firm Winter, Wyman, said demand for CRM developers, which has been “active and consistent” for several years, has spiked in the last 9 months. He said it’s not unusual to speak to CRM candidates early in the morning “and by 1 p.m. they have one job offer and by 3 p.m. they have multiple offers.” They typically land a job the same day.
Winter, Wyman’s placements for CRM developers in 2011’s fourth quarter tripled vs. the same period in 2010. Demand for Salesforce.com skills is especially hot, Shyamji said, with companies looking for developers who can integrate Salesforce with other enterprise applications.
Especially employable are Java developers who gain hands-on CRM experience with an employer and then look to parlay those skills into a more lucrative gig, he said.
Alice Hill, managing director of IT jobs site Dice.com, said there are typically more than 2,600 job postings for technology professionals with CRM skills on the site, an 8 percent increase over last year. The average annual salary for CRM professionals also grew 2 percent over 2010, and is now $90,205.
“While the job functions vary between industries, employers are looking for tech professionals with strong analytical skills who can manage the communication channels between the technology itself and the customer,” she said. “Within CRM, companies are looking for tech talent who can effectively communicate with multiple business units/owners while automating complex data and organizational structures. It goes beyond simply executing an assignment. Tech pros need to analyze information from various sources and draw meaningful conclusions.”
No data was available for Salesforce.com, Hill said. But Oracle is the most popular vendor with hiring managers seeking job candidates on Dice, with more than 18,000 job postings on any given day, a 15 percent-plus increase over 2010. Tech pros with SAP experience are also in demand, with more than 8,000 jobs posted, up 22 percent over last year.
Demand for CRM skills spans multiple industries and geographies, Hill said. Every state, including Alaska and Hawaii, has CRM job opportunities.
She predicts demand will continue to increase as smaller companies invest in CRM systems and larger companies update their systems, both of which create a need for more customized applications. “The need to tie together multiple data sources, to customize the CRM platform to fit the specifics of the business, and to provide relevant reporting showcases the complexity behind the demand,” Hill said.
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